Creating Wearable Art on Silk~ By Mysticsilks

I tell myself after creating each new series of silk scarves, that this is my last one. But then the creative muses stir within me and I am back to designing new pieces.
With the six new scarves, there are two that are quite different in size. Instead of the usual 12x 60inch silk satin I decided to try working with the 15 x 70 inch silk satin: And what a challenge that presented.

First I had to alter the size of the wood frame: I extended it in length by a foot. And I discovered with the larger size scarves, you can not connect two together on the frame to dye. The reason, with the extra width, it is difficult to do detailed work, such as seen in the Ocean scene silk scarf.
I am showing the photos of the beginning steps to both the Butterflies scarf(which is shown after it is completely dyed, and the Ocean scene beginnings and after it is half completed with dyes.
I will continue to photograph the progress of the remaining four scarves from the first stages of designing, to the dying process.
Then after steaming all six to set the dyes deep into the fibers of the silk, I will show the finished product in the next blog.

Until then visit my shop at: http://mysticsilks.etsy.com
You will see wearable silk art, and silk art that is framed and ready to display on your walls.

Thank you.
Mysticsilks

Granny Goofs, and You Gain! ~By MysticSilks

It's been awhile since I've blogged about anything. I usually like to have something new, and or different to share with folks: This blog is definitely about the new and different !
About a month ago I ordered some blank scarves to design and dye. I ordered the 30x30 inch size thinking this would make for a most versatile silk scarf, as one could arrange or rearrange the material to suit what best appeals to them,i.e; wrap about the head and neck,or tie just around the neck;at any rate there's the length and width of material to play with.
As my hands are not as steady as they once were,I find it too much of a challenge to draw an image onto the silk scarves. Yet, I did not want to simply run dye across the scarves and call it a done deal. So, my daughter and I went out one of the last chilly snowy days for 6 hours looking for stencils(appealing stencils);we found not one thing meeting the criteria for appealing.

I was quite disappointed, and my back ached from all that walking. I decided to try amazon.com for stencils. In my search I found four books of all kinds of images, from zoo animals, to horses,flowers, butterflies, fish:I apprehensively ordered the books of stencils, not knowing exactly their size, nor quality.
Well, when they arrived I could hardly believe my good fortune;they were the right size for using on a silk scarf, plus the quality was excellent!
Humph, I thought to myself, and I spent 6 hours looking in the stores and malls. The theme" Let your fingers do the walking " went humming through my mind.


I washed any silk worm residue from the eight scarves, rinsed then ironed them.
I then tacked the scarves to a foam core board. Previous to that I had traced the selected images on tracing paper which I would place under the silk scarf to use as a pattern. I placed these traced images under the silk on the foam-core board, then began to use tinted resists to draw the images onto the silk. As I worked I was chatting with my grand-daughter who was home on spring break from medical school:In other words I wasn't being fully focused on what I was doing.
OK, the images were drawn on all eight scarves, I tacked them to the studio wood frame in preparation for dying. I dyed two scarves at a time, let them dry overnight, then tacked two more, till all eight scarves were dyed. On the 5th day I wrapped them in sheets of paper, then rolled the packaged scarves onto the wire cylinder and tied the package to secure it to the cylinder to prevent the packaged scarves from slipping into the water while steaming:God forbid!


The six day I set up my steamer, waited for the water to steam, then placed the rolled scarf package onto the riser in the steam pot; This keeps the scarves out of the water, and just allows the steam to penetrate the scarves. I set the timer for two hours. But I ran up and down the steps 10-12 times to make sure everything was safely steaming.
Steaming time was up,I carefully removed the steaming scarf package, snipped the ties that held the scarves on the cylinder, unrolled each scarf. I draped the scarves over chairs to allow them to air dry overnight. Next day they were all washed in a gentle sudsy bath, rinsed dozens of times, then ironed.
Next day as I began to get ready to take photos of them on my mannequin head prop.


As I draped the scarves in different positions to get the best shot, I notice to my most horrific awareness that all the images were inverted! In other words instead of drawing the images facing outward , away from the designer, I drew them facing me.
This affect will cause the observer who looks at the scarf while being worn, to cock their heads sideways, or upside down to get the proper view!!
That my friends is the reason for the title" Granny Goofs: Your Gain" As a result these scarves which would have a $40.00 price tag will now be almost given away for $25.00.
Do visit my website:http://mysticsilks.etsy.com

Thank you!

MysticSilks

Silk Is A Health Benefit To You!, BY Mysticsilks

If you think owning a silk scarf is frivolity please read the following article I wish to share with you by: Elizabeth Shimer Bowers:

"Silk underwear — or silk anything, really — is a small luxury, but it has big benefits. The soft, strong substance not only makes great protection for a silkworm’s pupal stage but also has tremendous effects on women’s health. When spun into sheets, pajamas, and scarves, silk may help ease menopausal hot flashes, prevent the effects of aging, and relieve certain skin conditions. Read on to find out more about why silk may be the other fabric of our lives."


Please visit : http://mysticsilks.etsy.com

For The Holiday Season`Five New Silk Scarves: By MysticSilks

Every time I am in the midst of creating a new selection of silk scarves,after spending hours on my feet hand dying the silk, I swear to myself, this is the last time.
But the process does not start with the dying,it really begins with the designing of what pattern I want seen on the silk.
With this selection of new silk scarves, I drew templates for each scarf.

The first one was the pattern I call Stained Glass Silk( that'is the scarf in the upper left side. .......... After I drew the template/s( and this applies to all the scarves shown today) I placed waxy tracing paper over the template. I did this to prevent the water based resist( the liquid I use to draw the pattern onto the silk) from sticking to and runing the template/s.

You can look at the templates and tell which scarf it was used for.

The silk scarf next to" Stained Glass on Silk", is "The Cosmos". I did not use a template for this one.--:)

The Third scarf on the left is " Pinwheels". The template for that one is right above the finished scarf.

The next one " Sunshine and Lollipops" and for some reasons you can see two templates used for that scarf.--:)

Then last but not least is "And all That Jazz". You can see its template right below the scarf.

I never seem to be able to upload my photos to my liking on blogger.com. And I have too much 'attention deficit disorder' to read in depth on how to upload photos, or to at least re-arrange photois once uploaded.

After the patterns were all drawn on the scarves,and the scarves were then pinned to my wooden dying frames,I began the process of doing just that, dying.Now, I want to share with you, That after I began dying " Stained Glass on Silk" I could have bitten my bottem lip off! Placing different colored dyes in each block, or space on that scarf took 3 hours of standing on my feet, on a cement floor. Whew!

But, it turned out so unique and beautiful, like giving birth, I had to say it was all worth it.

Just as an added thought, and it has not one thing to do with creating silk scarves. But have you ever wondered at how many times you handle an item you buy at the grocery store before you even pick it up to use it?

Eight times!! I counted this morning after coming home with the groceries.

I'll be looking foward to your visits to my etsy shop, at

http://mysticsilks.etsy.com

Until then, enjoy the day!

MysticSilks

Happy Feet Goes Silent~By MysticSilks

Remember Happy Feet , the emperor penguin, who washed up on a New Zealand beach in June with his belly full of sand. He was treated at Wellington's Zoo, and then released back into the ocean after his recuperation. He was fitted with a tracking device but has not been heard from in awhile since his release into the ocean:His tracking system has gone silent.
What really took place?

Well, Happy Feet was the Johnathan Livingston Seagull of the penguins. He knew that his chances of survival in the Arctic Ocean were near to nil. After all he had seen his mother, father, brothers and sisters, and probably some cousins get swallowed by Orca whales, or Great White sharks;penguins were on the daily menu for those big boys!
Happy Feet decided he wanted a different fate. He made up his mind to jump into the ocean and swim in a different direction , away from where his carnivorous enemies lived. He figured if he could beach himself in a place where humans would see him---well, they'd take pity on him and find a nice zoo in which to place him.

Humans are not always so smart. Yes, they did rescue him. Yes, they did nurse him back to health. Then what did they do? They tossed him back into an environment that could prove most disastrous to his well-being.

And, I think since they can no longer track Happy Feet, it might just mean that he ended up as dinner. So much for trying to find a different way of life.

But, nice try Happy Feet, nice try!


Visit http://mysticsilks.etsdy.com/

Silk Head Candy(Silk Head Scarves)``Mysticsilks

I've downloaded three more of the series of ten " Silk Head Candy" silk head scarves.
For those having experienced just one of the side affects of chemotherapy, the loss of one's hair, the desire to feel pretty and feminine is strong! These scarves are mostly for you!

After I washed and rinsed each scarf a dozen or more times to remove excess dye, I ironed them.
And, while I was setting up the ironing board, an inspiration came to me: Put a drop of the 'Holy Water' from the Lourdes , on each scarf before you iron it.
Now, the story behind this 'holy water' is a mystery to me, in that it has lasted for 15 + years Some friends went to France and visited "Lourdes", the place that Mary, the Mother of Jesus visited many years ago. It was told, that she had blessed the water with healing properties.
Well these friends brought back a tiny vile of that water---by all rights the amount that was in that vile should have evaporated. But it hasn't, and so a drop of it went on each scarf.
My hope is that it blesses each person who wears a scarf.

There are four more scarves to post and I hope to do that tomorrow!

Thank you for reading.

Please visit :

http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/

I Vote For iCraft.com````MysticSilks

I am slowly falling in love with iCraft.com.
Why? you ask.
Because of all the other online selling venues I sell on, and pay a hefty monthly fee for listing and sale's commission, I have never been a featured artist on their site. Nor have I seen any of my creations featured in any of their monthly sales newsletters.
And of the many treasuries I have created, not one has ever been picked to be on their front page.
And yet, although I do not have a paid monthly subscription on iCraft(which I am looking to upgrade shortly ), they have made me a featured artist, and I've seen my products often in their sales newsletters that are sent through-out the internet.

Thank you iCraft.
http://icraft.ca/index.php

MysticSilks
http://mysticsilks.icraft.ca
http://mysticsilks.etsy.com

What To Do When the Art Muses Go on Vacation~~~ Mystic Silks

What do you do when your spirit of creativity just seems to elude you?
You seem to lack any imagination;you're feeling a funk? This seemingly desertion of the artistic muses happens to many of us;it's happened to me.
Lets look at what could be taking place.
You're holding down a full-time job: You've got a home , children, and husband, that you devote much of your time to.
You walk into your workshop, studio, your office, wherever you create, and nothing happens. No new ideas come to you. That page of poetry, or the story you were writing sits blank, and glares back at you. That piece of canvas remains white;lacking images, bare of color. You heave a big sigh, leave the area, and go back to the kitchen to finish the dirty dishes.

Now here's a secret, be gentle with yourself. Do some self talk, like," this weekend, I am devoting 3 hours to my creative spirit. I will find someone to keep an eye on the kiddies." On the weekend let the dusting go till the evening: Who needs to sit in front of the boob-tube anyway.

When my four children were small, I used to get up early in the morning , at least an hour or two before I knew they would begin to stir. I'd brew my coffee, and get my paints out and work away right at the kitchen table. Oh, my those were the most inspirational time, the early morning hours. I discovered later in life, that the wee morning hours were the best for poetry, too.
Now, many of you may not find the wee hours your best time. OK, then you create your own best time, and stick to your guns!
Those art muses will return when they see you have set aside the time just for them! It just works out that way;trust me.

Thank you for reading!
Mysticsilks

http://mysticsilks.artfire.com
http://mysticsilks.etsy.com

The Other Three Silk Beauties For Summer``Mysticsilks

Here we have the remainder of the six summer silk scarves series.
"Purple Pansy" with a hand-painted embellishment on each side of the silk scarf.
This came about due to one of those mysteries in dying silk.
The entire scarf was dyed using pansy violet
and lavender French dyes. When the steaming process was complete and I unraveled the scarves from their metal cylinder , on one side of the scarf was a completely blue white demarcation. How this occurred is anybody's guess. It looked like a lightening strike!
So I used my French silk paints to add the seen embellishment to both sides of the scarf.

The scarf to the right of the "Purple Pansy", I called "Pink Cotton Candy." The color reminded me of that delicious pink cotton candy I watched them spin back in the good ole days of local carnivals and amusement parks.
Now the last one on the right I named " Light My Fire" It's a combination of French lemon dye, doted with just a tad of magenta. After the steaming process it reminded me of little flames of fire.

You can view all of these and more at: http:mysticsilks.etsy.com, or http:mysticsilks.artfire.com

Thank you for reading .
Mysticsilks

A Summer Selection of Silk Scarves`~MysticSilks

Here we are with three of the new summer
silk satin scarves selections offered at http://mysticsilks.etsy.com, and http://mysticsilks.artfire.com.

We began the process of creating them back in February when I ordered the blank white silks; I ordered twelve in all, only because the price of the silks continue to rise.
However, I washed and rinsed the silk worm residue from just six of them. Dealing with six is challenging enough!
You can see me in the upper right hand corner with several silk scarves that I had attached to my wooden frame in order to dye the scarves. I use only the finest of French dyes.
Once the dye has dried , an overnight process, I then take the scarves usually 6, wrap each one in blank newspaper sheets, then roll them onto a metal cylinder.
From there the silk scarves are lowered into a steaming container, and left to steam for 2-3 hours. Then the scarves are removed/ unrolled from the cylinder, and are allowed to dry overnight. Next day the silk scarves are washed in a special soap water and rinsed several time to eliminate residue dyes. Even with the numerous rinsing some dye will still wash out of the scarf at later washings.
Each scarf is ironed, and placed ready to photograph. I usually take 5-6 photos and pick from the best of those. I then edit each photo. Later I upload the photo, to my etsy , or artfire website. Fill out a full description ( each one different for both website), add the price, S&H.
I'd say from start to finish each scarf takes about 20 hours.

So please enjoy the wearing of these scarves.

Please visit http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/, or http://mysticsilks.artfire.com/

Thank you for reading.

A Business Woman's Request: Part Two: Creating the Templates~~~By MysticSilks

In November of this year 2010, I was contacted by a customer(Sharyn A. Brotz) of mine who had just purchased four of my hand designed silk scarves. She wanted to know if I would be able to design a couple of silk scarves based on her watercolor paintings:

See: www.deuxartistes.com.

I asked her to snail mail me the images of her paintings, and I would see if this request would be possible to fulfill. She mailed me the images and my next concern was would I be able to view her images through the silk I was planning to use: Silk Satin.

First let me say that this was the first time I had ever attempted to design on silk using the images of someone else's art work: That is the challenge to try and replicate the colors , the images, the nuances surrounding the main images.

The two photos 1) the butterflies , and 2) the fish as I came to call them were the templates that I used.

I taped the images of Sharyn's art work to a piece of foam core board. With the butterfly I traced images of butterflies to use throughout the upper part of the scarf.

On the fish painting, I traced the fish on each side of the silk scarf, then just carried blue sky throughout the scarf.

The butterfly scarf was labor intensive. Each image of a butterfly was hand designed using resist to make impermeable barriers against the leaking of the dyes from one butterfly into the next, then individually hand dyed.

The same principal was used with the fish.

Please read:

Part (3)the dying of butterflies, and fish.

Thank you

http://mysticsilks.etsy.com

I had the privilege of being interviewed for the Spotlight feature on iCraft. This great interview was arranged and conducted by Diane Cipollo, editor of Spotlight.
Her questions were thoughtful and I could tell she had done her research; I was quite impressed.

I thought I would share it with my readers.

Klaire Martin is an artist working in the natural medium of silk fibers and fabric dyes. A retired nurse, she enjoys creating the wonderful silk paintings, scarves and pillows in her Mystic Silks iCraft Creator Exhibit.She starts with pure white silk and the finest French dyes. These organic mediums take on a "mysterious life of their own" resulting in OOAK pieces of art. She uses a custom made steaming pot made from a clam chowder boiler pot for the steaming process that brings out "mysterious images on the silk". The entire process takes many hours but she took time out to share her story with us.
Please give us a brief bio – introduce yourself.Hi, My name is Klaire, also known as MysticSilks. Art has been a part of my life since I was old enough to hold a crayon or paint brush.My professional training came from The Cooper Institute of Art, however I gave that up to become a wife and mother. In between being a wife and mother I attended Kent State University, graduating with a degree in Nursing. And betwixt and between that career, I attended various classes in art. I began silk art as a way of relaxing. According to my art instructor, creating silk art was a ZEN experience: Not for me, I am a Virgo perfectionist!

You have worked in several mediums including oils, acrylics, and watercolors. Why did you decide to concentrate on silk ?Silk art offers me surprises. It has a mysteriousness within the process of creating it.
With the organic nature of the "mystic" silks and dyes, you must get some surprises along the way. Would you share a story about how a "surprise" became one of your favorite works of art?One of those mysterious outcomes is in the painting "Fairies In Our Midst". If you do a zoom in on that painting between the statue's tree stump, and the rose bush, you can see images of people. That was not an intended outcome, but I find it a delightful addition.
You also work in watercolors. One of your watercolors became a Christmas card and was sold to benefit the Residents of Maple Leaf House. Can you tell us a little about how this came about?This was an exciting experience for me and my clients at Maple Leaf Residents. The staff and residents were asked to draw or paint some winter scenes. Prizes would be awarded and the top winner would have their artwork made into Christmas cards plus win a cash award. My clients persuaded me to enter the contest, which I did. I won the 1st prize. The sponsors of the contest had my watercolor "Magic Snowfall" professionally framed plus they published holiday greeting cards using that painting. I was very honored.
Positive and negative feedback is part of the art business. You received a lot of positive reactions to your Picasso's Sun piece which influenced you to create Picasso's Moon. However, your memorial painting of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 was not well received at its first hanging in 2002 and again on eBay in 2004. Would you share your thoughts about this controversial piece?That infamous day of September 11, 2001 was traumatic for all Americans. I watched the events of that day happen on TV: It was surreal. A week or so later I found an article written in the Times magazine, plus a photo of the towers: One had been hit, one had a plane coming at it. It was from that photo that I painted the destruction of the Twin Towers. It was cathartic for me to paint it. I captured some American history in that painting. Yes, the feedback from eBay was sad. I wondered if every photographer or painter of the Civil War, or any American war, was reprehended for capturing history? I am in the process of donating that painting to an art museum.
We never see our own art as others see it. One of your less favorite pieces was featured on the front page of Etsy. Can you tell us a little about this pleasant surprise?"Mountain’s Majesty" was the art piece on the front page of Etsy. I finished that piece a couple of years ago, but I guess never really looked at it, I mean really looked at it. I put it in a drawer after I had finished it. It wasn’t until 2 years ago, that I pulled it out, and said, ‘Wow!’ This is good, really good". I framed it and put it up for sale in my Etsy store. And one day someone told me it was on Etsy's front page. I am very critical of my work.



What has been your favorite work so far and why?"Picasso’s Moon" because of the content of that painting and vibrancy of colors.
Can you suggest any books, tutorials or videos that will help the beginner in your choice of medium?Dharma Trading Company offers many books and materials for those who would like to learn the process of creating art on silk.
Thank you Klaire. It's been a pleasure.

Here is a photo of that watercolor painting that won 1st prize, and had Christmas Cards made from the image of that painting:

Its at the top of this page. I never know where my photos will show up on this blog.

Again, thank you iCraft and especially Diane Cipollo.

The Process of Creating Silk Scarves~~~MysticSilks

For me, each step of creating a silk scarf is comprised of intense moments, and I think that's because I want each piece of silk art to be just what the buyer is looking for.

OK, I have layered and rolled all the dyed scarves onto a wire roll( see photo to the right). Just layering each scarf and then rolling the batch of layered scarves is a 2 hour process. You don't want any scarf sticking out and overlapping onto another scarf. After I've rolled the batch onto the wire mesh cylinder, I set up the steaming pot. (See photo to the left).If I would have purchased a pot from a catalogue I would have payed close to $300.00.This steaming pot saved me about $280.00, because I bought a clam chowder boiler pot. Then a friend rolled a piece of sheet metal to fit inside the pot leaving about 2-3 inches away from the sides of the pot. He popped it with some rivets to hold its shape. On the bottom of the pot sits a raised round metal pan with holes cut into it. This is where I set the cylinder of scarves on top of that metal pan which is 7 inches above the water

I always set up the steaming pot inside the garage. I pour 4-5inches of water into the bottom of the pot. The water never, NEVER touches the cylinder of scarves. All you want to have circulating around the scarves is steam, never water. Before the cylinder is placed into the pot I wait till the water is at a low boiling point.

The cylinder is placed onto the metal pan, careful not to touch the sides of the rolled sheet metal. I then cover the top with a couple of braided rugs, 2 towels, and heavy cotton sheet, which I tuck around the side of the pot to hold the steam in.

Then comes the waiting game; usually 2-3 hours. It takes that long to allow the steam to set the dyes deep into the fibers of silk. I am up and down the two step into the garage maybe 30 times in that 2-3 hour period of time.

I am making sure the pot has not tipped over. I am checking to make sure the water is still at the right level and slowly simmering. And that the steam is pouring through the rugs, and towels I have placed over the pot: These are all good indications that everything is coming along just right!

The time is finally up! I turn off the electric hot plate, and lift the cylinder full of steaming scarves out letting them cool before unwrapping. I empty the chowder pot of hot water in some weedy part of the garden. Turn it upside down to drain any excess water. I hang the rugs and towels up to dry.

And then , and then I begin to cut the strings that held the wrapped scarves onto the cylinder. I unroll the batch, then begin to peel off each layer of newspaper, releasing each silk scarf. I check to make sure there are no splash over of other dyes. Hey, no matter how careful I've been, sometimes it just happens. But they are beautiful ooopses.

About 3 batches ago, I had some beautiful ooopses. Each one I sold, the buyers comments and feedback were all very positive. Go to my http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/ feedback and read. Except for one. I gave her, the buyer good feedback;payed promptly, etc. She slaps me with negative feedback and the most nasty comments: Poor quality, poor wrapping.

WOW! I was heartbroken. I contacted her offering her a refund if she was that unhappy.

She wrote me back, she couldn't return it. She had given it as a gift!!

If you figure that one out, let me know. How displeased was she? Or did she dislike the person she gave the gift to? But if you didn't like someone, would you give them a gift?

I have remained puzzled since that time, and kind of sad , too. Cuz I really loved that scarf. The one to your left is that scarf!

OK,the scarves are peeled away from the layers of newspaper. I let them dry overnight. The next day, I wash the scarves in a gentle soap water. Then each scarf is rinsed till the water runs almost clear. I say almost because, it seems for the first few washings there will always be a residual bit of dye in the scarf. Out comes the ironing board and each scarf while damp is ironed. Then I set up my photo taking drop cloth, and begin to set up the scarves for their photo session. This is an all day process. I take 5-6 different angles with different props.

The I head over to picnik.com and edit each photo till I am satisfied I have brought out the best depth of colors. You'd think we'd be finished, huh?

But no! Off I go to http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/ or to http://mysticsilks.artfire.com , and if it's a painting, off to http://designstyleguide.net and I spend another 2 hours per scarf to list each scarf separately on one of those website stores.

I wait with anticipation till my silk beauties sell, and I hear how pleased each buyer is--:)

Thank you--:)

MysticSilks

I Found The Best Photo Editing Site- By MysticSilks

I'm not sure how this post will appear after I am finished. I am still not proficient when it comes to uploading photos onto my blog. So please excuse my clumsy attempts.

The two photos you are viewing is of a water color painting that I created about 5 years ago. The MRDD facility that I was employed by, had a contest for a winter scene drawn, or painted by a resident or employee. I managed to complete the two deer in a deep winter scene and submit it as an entry to the contest.

I won! And as a result I was awarded a $100.00, plus they paid to have the painting professionally framed, and in addition had hundreds of boxed Christmas cards made with my water color painting on the cover of the card!!

I may be an artist , but not a photographer. And when it comes to these computerized digital cameras, well, just tell me which button to push to take the photo. I know nothing about any other setting on my Cannon camera,and just recently figured out what the heck a pixel was/is.

OK, so I take the photos, and download them or is it called uploading?

I have photos that seem to have too little light, too much. The photos are too large, the color or tint is off.

I used to struggle with this complexities of getting the photos just right to upload to my online shops:

http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/ or

http://mysticsilks.artfire.com/

And then one day I read in the etsy forums that someone was using http://picnik.com/

I thought yea, right another complicated only for genius type people to use site. OMG! Was I in for a surprise!! A most wonderful, delightful surprise!

I uploaded my poorly taken photos to picnik.com, clicked auto fix, used the re size , or crop feature, plus any other adjustment I thought the photos needed. Then clicked save. Bang! It saved my now beautiful photos to my computer. From there I now am able to upload with pride to my artfire, or etsy site!

If you are having the same problems with photo editing that I was, I highly recommend:

http://picnik.com/

Try it, you'll love it!

MysticSilks